Grading machine



March 20, 1928.

R. A. MacKENzlE GRADING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 fibder/kk Fl. mac/r5219 Filed Auz. 31. 1926 (Emm March 20, 1928. 1,663,257

, R. A. M KENZlE GRADING MACHINE Filed Auz. 31. 1926 2 Sheets-Shea 2 WW I nnenlot I Rode/M04 Who (W album Patented Mar, 2%, 1928.,

UNETEE fivTATEg RODERICK A. MACKENZIE, 0F DISK-"IMAM, VJASHINGTON.

GRADING MACHINE.

Application filed August 31, 1926. Serial No. 132,817.

iMy present invention relates toimprovements in grading machines which whlle adapted for use in grading or sorting various commodities, is especially designed as a portable machine for use in gradmg and sorting potatoes. The machine is of the poweroperated type employing an endless carrier or conveyer to which the potatoes are elevated from a hopper and discharged upon the carrier or traveling table. Sorters or attendants are stationed along the longitu-dinally moving carrier or conveyer for manually sorting and distributing the, potatoes of various grades to independent and separate portions of the endless carrier or traveling table. Some of the potatoes are delivered to laterally arranged bags or re ceptacles, and the remaining potatoes are carried toward and delivered to bags at the rear end of the traveling table or earner, and means are provided for alternately distributingthese last mentioned potatoes to one of a pair'of bags or receptacles. The invention consists in certain novel combmations and arrangements of parts whereby the potatoes are conveyed and delivered into the waiting bags or receptacles as w1ll hereinafter be more fully pointed out and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings I have 11- lustrated one complete example of the physical embodiment of my invention wherem thefparts are combined and arranged according to one mode I have thus far devised for the practical application of the principles of my invention.

I, Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a power operating grading machine embodying'my invention with the bags or receptacles omitted for convenience of illustration.

Figure 2 is a top plan View of the machine of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a perspective view at the rear 'or delivery end of the machine showing one of the bags in position to receive potatoes.

Figure Al is a detail view'partly in section of the handle of one of the bag holders.

Figure 5 is a side view of one of the bag holders showing by dotted lines its position for discharging a bag of potatoes.

In Figures 1 and 2 the machine is illustrated as a portable machine that may be moved from place to place as desired and supported upon .a main frame 1 having wheels 2. A motor 3 is indicated to supply power for operating the machine, and at the front end a hopper l, partly supported from the main frame, and provided with supporting wheels 5, is equipped with an endless, inclined elevator 6 to feed the potatoes to the endless carrier or slatted, traveling table 7. The slatted traveling table 7 is of usual type and supported with sprocket chains on wheels or rollers 8 and 9 with their shafts 12 on the latter shaft, belt 13, and pulley. l4 7 on the power shaft 15, transmit power through the chain 16 and suitable sprocket wheels to the drive shaft 8 of the'endless carrier. v i o The endless elevator 6 isalso operated from the drive shaft 8 through a sprocket drive 17 to the drive shaft 18 at the top of the elevator and located above the top of the'front end of the main carrier or traveling table 7. v

Provision is made for distribution of the graded potatoes at both sides of the main sorting table, aswell as at the rear or delivery end of the table. For the lateral delivery a pair ofbag holders indicated as a whole bythe numerals 19 and 20 are located at opposite sides of the table, and a second pair of bag holders21 and 22 are located at opposite sides of the table nearer the rear end of the table, as seen in Figure 2. Operatives are stationed at the sides of the'table for picking up and sorting or grading the potatoes by depositing them upon different.

portions of the sorting table; Spaces for the various'grades of potatoes are provided by'means of a pair of longitudinally extending guide plates 23 and 24: located above the working flight of the endless carrier and supported in fixed position fromthe main frame. These plates or boards are spaced at equidistant sides of the longitudinal center of the sorting table to provide spaces for the different grades of potatoes, and the curved or outwardly flared ends 23 and 2d of the boards or plates direct the potatoes to the waiting bags 20 an'dlQrespectively. Extensions 25 and 26 of these guide plates are provided with flared ends 25' and 26' for directing or guiding potatoes to the bags held by the holders 21 and 22.

The potatoes that remain on the sorting table between the guide plates 2326 and 242 5 travel with the slatted endless carrier or sorting table to the delivery end of the machine and are alternately deflected or guided to one of a pair of waiting bags as B suspended at the rear or delivery end of the machine.

For this purpose the longitudinally e2;- tendliig guide plates or 'board's25" and 26 are provided with'gate's27 and 28pivoted at "29 to the'boardsor plates and adapted toswin "uni son laterally of the slatted table to position to gui'depr deflecta'll of'the pota toes traveling along the central longitudinal portion of the table. i I

These "gates are suspended above the top oflth e sdrting ta ble byineans of an inverted U-shape connecting bar or 'yol'reBO, which at its'endsis pivoted as at 31 to the free ends of the respective "gates. This pivetal arrangeinent of the'gates and yoke is such as to perniit the gates'to swing on their'hinges '29with their free ends moving across the endof 'thet'able asthe yoke is bodily slid 'orfshifted laterally of themachineand table.

The shifting-'yokeis provided with a pair of-vertically adjusted slide plates 32, one located at each end of the yoke, and pro vided with set bolts or screws '33 to hold the plates in vertically adjusted position on the; yoke'to properly locate the gates over the sorting table. 7

These slide plates that extendlongitudinally of the machine are supported and 'slidable between an upper edge-plate 34 and a lower, spaced, flat plate 35, which at their endsvzare secured to the upright posts '36 bolted to the end frame 37 which 'is rigid with t-hcmain frame 1 of themachine. At the end of the sorting table and adjacent thereto a delivery chute is located and comprises a transversely .extending plate or board 38 having two end walls 39 and an intermediate, dividing partition 40, and supported from an arched frame bar 41 secured t the frame 37. a

The inner ends of the walls 39 and the partition are inwardly curved to conform ,to'the rounded ends of, the gates-27 and 28 which are adapted to aline with a wall and the partition to form a chute delivering the potatoes to one of a pair of bags as B, which are supported'in ap'air of holders'as 42 and '43 in;Figure 2.

These holders are of similar construction and form extensions of the machine frame. Each holder comprises a U-shaped frame 44 disposed in horizontal position when in use and pivoted at 45 to an arm 46 secured to the arch bar 41 of the frame 37. At their inner pivoted ends the frames 44 are fashioned with bag-hooks 47 for suspending the bag B, and each UTshape'd frame is provided with a tabular, sli'dable handle 48 disposed longitudinally of the machine. A pin 49 extends transversely through the tubular handle'and is fixed therein to slide in a guide slot formed by the yoke 50 on the frame 44, which yoke projects into the tubular handle as best seen in Figure 4 and provides a support for the slidable handle.

An inner U shaped bag holding frame 51 is ivoted at 52 to the sides of the main bag holding fr'am'e44, and a lug 53 'isprovided on this inner rmmeand normally located within the yoke 50 ofthe outer bag holding frame when a bag is suspended. therein. This inner frame 'a'lso has a pair *of 'suspending hooks as 54 for the "ba gfand it will be apparent that the bag is "suspended by means'ofthe two "pairs of hooks 47 and *54 the former on the: main bag holding -frame and the latter on the inner "bag-holding frame. "B'yme'ans of a suspending chain 55 attached at one end to the guide frame'ba'r 34connected at its other end, to the -'handle 48 of the'bag holder, the latteri'ssupported,

together with itspivotal supports 45in horizontal position whenthe-bag is being filled.

After the bag is filled, the handle 48 is slid to dotted,-position in Figures '4 andb to withdraw the slotted yoke 50 fromth'e support of the lug 53 and by'means of the handle the outer-yoke 44 of the bag'holder is turned upwardly to dottedposition. The inneryoke of the bag holder whichis re leased from the outer yoke by withdrawal of the handle is permitted to swingdowm wardly to dotted position. rThese reversely swinging movements of the'inner: and 1 outer =yokes ofthe bag holder-bring the pairs of hooks 47 and 54 nearer together to permit ready release of the bag which has beensupported or suspended at'its upper edge from thefour suspending hooks,

a After the bag'hasb'eendisengaged from the'hooks the two yokes of the bag holder are returned to horizontal position, thetubular handle 48 is slid inwardly to engage and retain the lug 5301 the inner yoke,and'=,the chain 55 holds-the holder in'positionr with an empty bag suspendedthe'refrom. After a haghas beenfilledwith potatoes, by grasping the two slide arms or plates 32, the gates may be shifted laterally for -co'-actionfwith another end, wall and partition forming a chute to fill a'second bag. As the bagsfare filled the gates are alternately swung laterally of the sorting table in order that no time maybe lost and the filling of the bags at the rear of the table is a continuous operation. K

Having thus fully described my invention, whatI claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent'is-- 1. The combin'ation with spaced guide rails and their .hingedgates, ofan arched bar having pivotal connection with the free ends of the gates, a supporting frame, ad-

justable plates carried by the arched bar for frame, adjustable plates carried by the slidable support on the frame, and means for arched bar for slidable support on the frame, securing the plates in adjusted position. and means for securing the plates in ad- 10 2. The combination with a fixed delivery justed position. 6 chute having a dividing partition, of an In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

arched bar having pivotal connection with the free ends of the gates, a supporting RODERICK A. MACKENZIE. 

